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Love drugs are coming and they bring big ethical problems with them

9 February 2022

Drugs to help people fall in love are increasingly becoming viable, but they could cause harm as well as happiness, says Anna Machin

BBEEN8 WEST INDIES Trinidad Northern Range

It is possible to remake our economy so we use less and waste less

9 February 2022

It is time to do away with buying new products and binning them at the end of their lives and instead create a circular economy in which old goods can be reused, recycled, or can restore the environment

MF9C84 London. England. British Museum, Relief from the Mausoleum at Halikarnassos (Halicarnassus or Tomb of Mausolus), Section from the Amazon Frieze, detai

What myths of warrior women tell us about identity and gender politics

9 February 2022

From Amazon warriors to pugilistic matriarchs, stories of female fighters abound. Where do they come from and what can they tell us about gender equality, past, present and future, asks Laura Spinney

Are genetically modified pig organs the future of transplants?

8 February 2022

Leading surgeon David Cooper talks about the dawn of a new era of transplantation in which organs for human transplants come from genetically modified animals

Chimpanzees spotted apparently using insects to treat their wounds

7 February 2022

Chimps at Loango National Park in Gabon apply small winged insects to their wounds in an apparent form of self-medication, but it is unclear why

Spinal implants let three people who were paralysed walk with support

7 February 2022

People with complete paralysis from the waist down following spinal cord injuries have regained some control over their legs with a spinal implant

Glacier in the Fitz Roy Mountain Range, Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina.

Thin glaciers suggest Andes faces 'peak water' sooner than thought

7 February 2022

A new global analysis suggests glaciers in the Andes contain less ice than we thought – but the glaciers of the Himalayas are thicker

W57KD8 Panting happy dog sitting in a beautiful wildflower patch at St Abbs Head Nature Reserve, Scotland on a hot summer's day

Dog waste may harm nature reserve biodiversity by fertilising the soil

7 February 2022

Dogs’ urine and faeces bring large amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus into suburban nature reserves, which could be harmful to plant biodiversity

This illustration shows the distant Comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein as it might look in the outer Solar System. Comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein is estimated to be about 1000 times more massive than a typical comet, making it arguably the largest comet discovered in modern times. It has an extremely elongated orbit, journeying inward from the distant Oort Cloud over millions of years. It is the most distant comet to be discovered on its incoming path.

Biggest comet from outer solar system ever seen is 137 kilometres wide

4 February 2022

Astronomers have calculated the size of a ‘mega comet’ originating in the Oort Cloud, a cluster of icy bodies that surrounds our solar system

‘VB’ is a new and more infectious variant of HIV – but it is treatable

3 February 2022

The new variant has been found mainly in the Netherlands and it is more infectious, but it can be detected with existing tests and responds to treatment